1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to printing apparatuses.
2. Related Art
Ink jet printers that print by ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles are known. In such an ink jet printer, if no ink is ejected from the nozzles for an extended period of time, the water content of the ink may evaporate through the nozzle openings, causing the ink to thicken. The nozzles may then become clogged by the thickened ink, which in turn may cause operations for ejecting the ink to become unstable. To prevent such an issue from arising, it is preferable to prevent the nozzles from clogging or clear clogs from the nozzles by performing a process known as flushing, in which ink is forcefully ejected from the nozzles.
As related art, JP-A-2011-218724 and JP-A-2011-212979 disclose ink jet printers provided with full multiline recording heads (line heads) in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in rows across substantially the entire width of a printing medium, where the printers are configured to execute preparatory ejections (that is, flushing) onto the printing medium.
As an example of a printer error that can occur during printing, there are cases where the printing medium jams in a transport path within the printer (called a “paper jam”). Generally speaking, it is easier for jams to occur when the printing medium is slanted, wrinkled, sagging, folded, and so on, but there are also cases where ink droplets ejected onto the printing medium (dots) cause jams. In other words, depending on how dots adhere to the printing medium, there is a risk that the printing medium will not easily separate from a surface in the transport path or an end of the printing medium will easily enter into gaps along the transport path, causing a jam.